The field of the invention is systems for analyzing athletic performance and body mechanics of a subject, for example, those body mechanics of a pitcher who is being trained to pitch a baseball.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,830,369 teaches a baseball pitching practice target which includes a plurality of panel members disposed side-by-side to form a target area and a support frame which independently supports the panel members. Each panel has a designated segment portion of the target area. The target area includes a central strike zone area which is delimited by some of the panel members. A plurality of normally-open electrical contacts are associated with each panel and are closeable upon the application of an impact force on an outer surface of its associated panel. A display device identifies which panel has been subjected to an impact force. A visual display identifies the panel having been impacted and also provides a numerical read-out of a total numerical value with each of the panels having independent numerical values.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,629,188 teaches a baseball target device which includes a target that is adjustable in height and length to simulate the strike zones of different size batters. The baseball target device utilizes a base to which a telescopically adjustable vertical frame is attached, wherein the frame supports an adjustable spring-loaded window shade device. The shade of this device hangs down from the frame and its unrolled portion defines a "strike zone" for the pitcher. A picture of a crouched catcher and umpire is imprinted on the shade to give the target a realistic effect. The pitcher may adjust the target to the size of the strike zone for a particular batter by adjusting the telescopic frame to the height of the batter's shoulder and then adjusting the target shade to the batter's knee, thus creating a target whose size and location simulates the exact strike zone for that particular batter.
U. S. Pat. No. 5,064,194 teaches an apparatus for practicing pitching of baseballs to enable a user to improve pitching accuracy and to indicate pitched balls delivered within a strike zone.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,955,607 teaches a double loop device for practicing spot pitching which simulates actual game conditions.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,781,376 teaches a life-like training device for pitchers which has a target including a catcher figure and separate batter figure. Both the catcher figure and batter figure are adjustable in height to simulate different sized batters from Little League to adult size. The batter figure can be supported as a left or right handed batter and is pivotable as well as adjustable in distance from the catcher to simulate different batter box positions. A catcher's mitt target is supported on the catcher figure in different positions for different pitches and has an alarm in the pocket of the mitt to indicate an on-target pitch.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,563,005 teaches an apparatus for detecting and computing the location of a baseball as it is pitched over a plate in which infrared receivers are disposed at corner locations on opposite sides of a target zone which is aligned with the plate. First and second arrays of infrared emitters are mounted on opposite sides of the target zone for transmitting infrared light pulses to the opposite corner receivers. The infrared emitters are sequentially energized and transmit infrared pulse signals having relatively short durations in a scan cycle. Digital data words representative of the reception and nonreception by the receivers of the optical pulse signals are generated during each pulse interval of the scan cycle. Computer circuitry calculates the coordinates of the baseball within the target zone as a function of predetermined angular data retrieved computer memory. The computer memory is preprogrammed with a table of angular data corresponding to each receiver data word and the particular emitter pulse interval in which it occurs.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,545,576 teaches a baseball-strike indicator and trajectory analyzer which computes the trajectory of a moving object by remote, non-interfering sensors. The apparatus is able to compute the trajectory of a pitched baseball throughout its flight, including the trajectory of the baseball as it passes in the vicinity of a three-dimensional strike zone. The apparatus includes two pairs of video cameras, an alignment mechanism, video-storage device, a digitizer, a computer, output devices and an operator's console. The baseball-strike indicator and trajectory analyzer is required to identify the baseball, compute its position in three dimensions as a function of time, compute the speed of the baseball and its trajectory, and present the output via computer graphics to present the viewer with essentially any desired view of the pitched baseball.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,657,250 teaches a pitching practice apparatus which includes a frontal mechanical strike zone target at which the pitcher aims the ball and which contains yielding elements enabling the ball to pass rearwardly through a photoelectric sensing plane having sensing beams on two orthogonal axes. The photoelectric sensing arrangement precisely locates the position of the ball in the strike zone horizontally and vertically.
U. S. Pat. No. 5,138,322 teaches an apparatus for continuously and precisely measuring the positions of a tennis ball in motion in a predefined three-dimensional region. The apparatus transmit multiple radar signals from a first, second and third antenna devices into the predefined three-dimensional region. Multiple return signals are sensed and are compared with the transmitted signals to determine phases of the return signal to thereby obtain ranges of the object.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,858,922 teaches an apparatus for determining the velocity and path of travel of a ball which includes a pair of velocity sensing devices which are are disposed on opposite sides of the proposed path of travel of a ball. The electromagnetic energy beams from the sensing devices are directed at acute angles to the proposed path of travel. Velocity signals which are generated by the two sensing devices are averaged and converted to visible messages concerning the speed of the ball and its likely distance of travel had its flight not been interrupted.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,673,183 teaches a golf playing arrangement which includes a fairway, a tee area at one end of the fairway, a plurality of radar ground surveillance units located on the fairway at a successively greater distance from the tee area, a central processor, a video display and a putting green adjacent the tee area. Each ground surveillance unit detects golf balls moving on the ground in a predetermined circular area. The central processor calculates and the computer terminal visually displays the distance of the unit furthest from the tee area which detects a golf ball moving therethrough, and the sum of a succession of such distances.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,979,745 teaches an apparatus for practicing a golf swing includes a processor, a transmitter-receiver and a relay. The transmitter-receiver is stationarily arranged on the ground. The relay is attached to the golf club in or near to the head thereof. The transmitter-receiver includes an infrared light emitter and a pair of receivers. The relay includes a receiver for receiving the light from the emitter of the transmitter-receiver and a infrared ray emitter for emitting a ray toward the pair of receivers of the transmitter-receiver. The processor processes the light received by the pair of receivers separately, for detecting a change in intensity at time elapses for calculating the direction of the swing, and the timing of a maximum intensity for obtaining the head speed.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,898,389 teaches a golf training device which detachably coupled to the head of any golf club in order to give a golfer an exact indication of the point of impact of the face of a golf club with a golf ball. The training device includes a housing which supports at least one impact sensitive transducer, an electronic circuit and a display system. The impact sensitive transducer generates an electric signal upon impact. The electronic circuit determines if the transducer has received an impact. The display system is responsive to the electronic circuit and signals if the transducer has received an impact. There is a mechanism for connecting and disconnecting the training device to a golf club head. When attached to the head of a club, with the transducer on the face of the club, and swung into contact with a golf ball, the transducer generates an electrical signal which is transmitted to the electronic circuit which processes the electrical signal and transmit it to the display system which indicates the point of contact of the club face with the golf ball.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,708,343 teaches a baseball practice apparatus which includes a vertically extending panel having a plurality of selectively operable lights which generate focused light beams directed forward from the panel. A player swings a bat having a light reflecting surface which will intercept and cause the light beams to be reflected back towards the panel. On the panel there is an array of spaced light sensors. One of the light sensors detects the reflected light. A visual indication is provides the simulated result of the swing, for example, a "line drive" or a "fly ball". A foregoing visual display is provided in response to which a light, or lights, were illuminated to simulate a pitched ball and which a sensor senses reflected light from the bat. A "curve", a "sinker" or other pitch is simulated by actuating selected lights in a predetermined sequence.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,515,365 teaches an apparatus for measuring and analyzing the swing of a baseball player. The apparatus includes devices for emitting a plurality of spaced light beams projected in directions to be intersected by the swing plane of a bat and a corresponding plurality of light receiving elements arranged to receive light beams reflected from the bat. Signals received by the light receiving elements are collected and supplied to a processing apparatus and the results of this processing are displayed on a display which provides indication of angle, speed and level of the swing. The information may also be provided to a printer. The apparatus indicates whether the swing is performed normally and if it deviates from normal indicates the error involved.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,977,896 teaches an array of magnetic and/or electrical sensors external which measures signals produced by brain activity. Each sensor of the array of magnetic and/or electrical sensors is external to but proximate to either the head or other portion of the body of a subject. The measurements which are obtained simultaneously from all of the sensors are combined in a manner to permit selective measurement of the electrical activity from a specified location within the body, or alternatively, to permit the location in the body producing a particular type of response to be identified. The instantaneous measurement of each sensor is scaled by a weighting coefficient for that sensor, and the products added over all of the sensors. The weighting coefficients are calculated from a mathematical model of the brain that includes information on the shape of the potential source, the extent or type of source activity, the electrical and magnetic properties of the media, and the locations and orientations of the sources and the sensors.